Heat treatment is a controlled process used to alter the physical and sometimes chemical properties of materials, primarily metals. This process involves heating the material to a specific temperature, holding it at that temperature for a certain period, and then cooling it down in a controlled manner. The main goals of heat treatment are to improve hardness, strength, ductility, and resistance to wear. Common methods of heat treatment include annealing, quenching, and tempering. Each method serves a different purpose; for example, quenching rapidly cools the material to increase hardness, while tempering is used afterward to reduce brittleness. These processes are essential in manufacturing and engineering applications.